Students’ Perceptions of School-Based Feedback in Vocational Education and Training in Finland: the Case of Students with Learning Difficulties

Abstract

This study explores how students with learning difficulties (LD) in Finnish vocational education and training (VET) perceive and experience feedback. While Finnish VET traditionally emphasizes inclusivity, recent policy developments after the 2018 reform have shifted the focus towards competency-based education, with less explicit emphasis on inclusion. This study examines how feedback practices affect students with LD in this evolving educational landscape. Using a qualitative approach, data were collected from 49 students across four VET institutions through focus group discussions and individual interviews. Content analysis identified three key themes: (i) the effectiveness of various feedback approaches, (ii) perceptions and emotional responses of students, and (iii) suggestions for improvement. The findings revealed that individual face-to-face feedback was the most effective and preferred method for providing students with personalized and action-able guidance. Peer feedback was valued in practical tasks for its immediacy, although it lacked the depth of teacher feedback. Although convenient, virtual feedback is often delayed and less interactive, reducing effectiveness. The study concludes that timely, specific, and personalized feedback is essential for supporting students with LD and recommends that VET educators prioritize one-on-one feedback and enhance the structure of virtual feedback. These findings contribute to understanding inclusive feedback practices and provide recommendations for improving feedback in VET settings. © 2022 Authors.

Keywords

Author Keywords

vocational education and training (VET) Feedback Finland Learning Difficulties (LD) Student Experiences

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations

School of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Itä-Suomen yliopisto, Kuopio, IS, Finland

Funding & Acknowledgements

Itä-Suomen Yliopisto, UEF

Funding text 1: We want to sincerely thank the students and vocational schools that provided us with the opportunity to interview them and kindly donated their time. We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to the VET institutions and staff who welcomed us, enabled us to use their facilities, and provided insightful information for our study. DECLARATION OF INTEREST STATEMENT The author reported no potential conflict of interest. FUNDING Finnish Cultural Foundation Grant \u2013 2022-2023 Working Grant Number: 00220252, (Data collection period) Department of Special Education, University of Eastern Finland - Grant Support for Data Transcription and Analysis.; Funding text 2: We want to sincerely thank the students and vocational schools that provided us with the opportunity to interview them and kindly donated their time. We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to the VET institutions and staff who welcomed us, enabled us to use their facilities, and provided insightful information for our study. Finnish Cultural Foundation Grant \u2013 2022-2023 Working Grant Number: 00220252, (Data collection period) Department of Special Education, University of Eastern Finland-Grant Support for Data Transcription and Analysis.

Suomen Kulttuurirahasto, SKR

Grant: 00220252

Funding text 1: We want to sincerely thank the students and vocational schools that provided us with the opportunity to interview them and kindly donated their time. We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to the VET institutions and staff who welcomed us, enabled us to use their facilities, and provided insightful information for our study. DECLARATION OF INTEREST STATEMENT The author reported no potential conflict of interest. FUNDING Finnish Cultural Foundation Grant \u2013 2022-2023 Working Grant Number: 00220252, (Data collection period) Department of Special Education, University of Eastern Finland - Grant Support for Data Transcription and Analysis.; Funding text 2: We want to sincerely thank the students and vocational schools that provided us with the opportunity to interview them and kindly donated their time. We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to the VET institutions and staff who welcomed us, enabled us to use their facilities, and provided insightful information for our study. Finnish Cultural Foundation Grant \u2013 2022-2023 Working Grant Number: 00220252, (Data collection period) Department of Special Education, University of Eastern Finland-Grant Support for Data Transcription and Analysis.

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Students’ Perceptions of School-Based Feedback in Vocational Education and Training in Finland: the Case of Students with Learning Difficulties

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